In short, this is the story of two students at SDI Towak who were able to create works after reading books at the Child-Friendly Library.

Their names are Anaya Marcia Claire, a third-grade student, and Maria Helena Goa, a fifth-grade student. They are familiarly called Anaya and Marlen. These two students are enrolled at SD Inpres Towak, in the Aesesa District of Nagekeo Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Like other students, Anaya and Marlen enjoy coming to the library to read and borrow books.

However, their interest in this activity doesn’t stop there. After reading books, Anaya likes to rewrite the stories in a book for her younger sibling to read at home.

“I read books at the library, then I rewrite them in a book for my sibling to read at home,” said Anaya.

Unlike Anaya, Marlen enjoys drawing and coloring, so she produces many drawings after reading books at the child-friendly library. In fact, two of her artworks have been displayed alongside other children’s works as rich text materials in the library.

“The book I drew is titled ‘What I Like.’ I drew it myself but usually colored it at home,” said Marlen.

Interestingly, even before the existence of the Child-Friendly Library at SDI Towak, they often visited the library to read storybooks. However, the storybooks they read mostly contained more words and fewer illustrations, limiting their imagination to create their own works.

After the school collaborated with Taman Bacaan Pelangi (Rainbow Reading Gardens), the SDI Towak library became a child-friendly library, providing quality books with interesting stories, along with diverse illustrations and colors. This encouraged students to develop a love for reading and to start creating works in their own ways, just like Anaya and Marlen.

During reading activities led by teachers at the library, students are trained to think critically in understanding the storyline through questions posed by the teacher at the end of the reading session. Moreover, the child-friendly library, with its rich text materials, provides students with the opportunity to create visual artwork based on their favorite books.